Removable headshaft assembly for refuse vehicles



Aug. 2l, 1951 E. C. MILLER ET AL v REMOVABLE HEADSHAFT ASSEMBLY FOR REFUSE VEHICLES 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed June 23, 1949 S m Mm ma m ...vnnwlv WNO V 0 H .mMm A am GC Y .T Dn B Sn, e .n no r J E Aug. 21, 1951 E. c. c. MILLER ET AL 2,565,437

EEMOVAELE HEADSHAET ASSEMBLY EOE REFUSE VEHICLES Filed June 23, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 y36h 360 3 6 40 36h l2 |4 FIG. 3

invenfrors: Ernes'fCC. MII Ier JohnEColomore Patented Aug. 21, 1951 -REMOVABLE HEADSHAFT ASSEMBLY FOR REFUSE VEHICLES Ernest C. C. Miller,`Laurelton, and John P. Calamore, Kew Gardens,N. Y.

Application June 23, 1949,Serial No..'100,908

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in a refuse collecting truck, of the type provided with a power driven endless conveyor for loading material into the truck, and more particularly to an improved means for mounting the headshaft of the conveyor so that it may be easily removed as a unit when it becomes necessary to repair it or to renew any of its components.

In previous refuse collecting trucks of this type, an example of which is disclosed in U. S. Letters Patent No. 2,224,789, issued on December 10, 1940, to Loron G. Kurtz and Carl C. Ottoson, the headshaft extended through the sidewalls of the truck body journalled in bearings mounted on the outside of these walls, these bearings being so mounted in order to protect them from dirt from the refuse carried by the endless conveyor, and valso to make them readily available for routine inspection and lubrication. However, it was found that when the sprockets which are keyed on the shaft to drive the conveyor became rusted in place it was necessaryto cut the shaft in two pieces in order to remove it; this of course was an extremely wasteful procedure.

A further objection to the previous mounting means was the fact that whenever a repair necessitated the removal of the headshaft, it required the entire truck to remain in the shop during the time spent in making repairs to the headshaft alone. Due to the wear to which the headshaft and its sprockets are subjected when in operation, and their relatively close proximity to the refuse as it accumulates inside the truck they require more frequent replacement than other parts of the truck, and thepresence of an otherwise serviceable truck in the repair shop often `overcrowded the shop facilities.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a mounting assembly for the conveyor headshaft bearing lof refuse collecting trucks of this character which may be easily removed as a unit, vthereby permitting a servicefable unit to be substituted in its. place.

It is a further object to provide a mounting assembly for a headshaft of'this type which may extend beyond the sidewalls of the body so asto .be supported by bearings on the outside of the walls, which may be easily and quickly removed ias-a unit and without cutting the shaft.

Briefly stated, these and other'desirable objects are accomplished by forming the sidewalls inav plurality of sections which are detach'ably sup- Vrearwardly disposed tail portion .v .2 The journal mountings being also ldetachably secured to one or more of the sidewall sections, itis vonlynecessary vto separate'the sections-between whichthe shaftextends in order to remove it.

The general features `of the invention having been thus outlined, further advantages of structureandoperation will be described in connection With the appended drawings illustrating-apreferred embodiment of the invention,in which:

Fig. 1 is 'an elevation of a-refuse truck having the` improved mounting means for the headshaft; Fig. 2 is anienlarged detailed elevartion of aporton of the sidewall ofa truck` showing the disposition of various elements of the mounting means; Fig.l3 is Va cross-sectional plan view of the device taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2; Fig. .4 is similar to Fig.2 except that it shows the sidewall with theheadshaft assembly removed.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, Fg..1 illustrates a refuse collecting truck havinga loading boot `5 situated at .the rear end into which refuse is deposited Vby the employees, from which an endless conveyor, indicated at 6 by dotted lines, which is located within the body of the truck, carries rit'into the upper portion-of the body from which it drops into the main .body of the truck. `As indicated, the conveyor 6 Ais housed principally lWithin a housing running along the upper portion of the truck and having sidewalls 1 and'. VNear the forward Yportion of the sidewalls the conveyor 6 is carried by a removable headshaftassembly indicated generally at 6a, which includes sprockets f9, suitably keyed to vashaft IIJ, 'the ends of which project beyond the walls 'l and 8 and are supported by journal means 'such as ball bearings II and I2 suitably secured 'to mounting plates I3 and I4 respectively.

'In order toprotectas much as possible Aagainst Ythe entry of refuse into the working partsof the headshaft assemly an apronmember I-5 encircles rthe shaft I0 .over substantially its entire length between the sprockets 9, and the shroudmembers I6 fand I-I cover exposed ,portions `of the sprockets. The apron I5 is provided near its forward edge with a laterallylex-tending cylindricalfpassage I8 Whichfallo'ws it to be supported at that edge onthe rotating shaft IIJ, whilethe I9 rests on cross-member j2li and is provided on its under side with an elongated plate member 2l having a downwardly offset center section 22 which .passes beneath the cross-member 20 and may be The shroud members i5 and I1 may be welded to plates 24 and 25 respectively.

Details of the mounting of the assembly in the sidewalls are shown in Figs. 2 and 4, in which only the right hand side may be seen; however, it will be understood that the arrangement of parts on the left hand side will be similar. In Fig. 4 the sidewall 'I is shown provided with a recess depending from its upper margin, the front and rear edges of this recess being defined by stiffening members such as angle irons 23 and 21 respectively. The lower edge of the recess may be dened by a plate member 28 whose upper edge includes a substantially horizontally extending cut-out portion 28a which lies below the shaft I and permits certain limited foreand-aft movement of the shaft assembly. The upper portion of the recess is closed by a removable plate member 29 having outwardly turned flanges 30 and 3| enabling it to be attached, as by means of the bolts 32, to the angle irons 25 and 21 in alignment with the plate member 28, with its lower edge 29a passing above the shaft I Il, The horizontally disposed slotted openings 28h and 29h are provided respectively in plate members 28 and 29 to receive the mounting bolts 33, threaded to receive removable nuts 33 for limited fore-and-aft displacement as will be explained. When in position the bolts 33 on the right hand side of the device pass through openings provided in the shroud I6 and mounting plate I3 in alignment with the slotted openings 28?) and 29h, while on the left hand side of the device the bolts 33 pass through Similar openings provided in the shroud I1 and the mounting plate I4.

Referring again to the right side of the device, as shown in Fig. 2, for a detailed study of its construction, but with the understanding that similar construction is applied to the left hand side, it will be seen that when the nuts 34 are drawn up on the bolts 33 the mounting plate I3 and the shroud I3 may be firmly supported in the sidewall 1 by the plate members 28 and 29. Furthermore, if the nuts 34 are loosened, but not removed, the bolts 33 carrying the mounting plate I3 and the shroud I3 in xed relationship to each other may be moved horizontally as a unit in the slotted openings 28h and 29h. Inasmuch as the conveyor 6 lies in a horizontal plane extending rearwardly from the headshaft assembly 5a, the horizontal shifting of the mounting plates I3 and I4 which support the journal means II and i2 for the shaft I0 and the conveyor carrying sprockets 9 Will effect variations in the tensioning of the conveyor I5, because the slotted openings 28h and 29h extend substantially in the direction of the thrust force exerted by the conveyor. To assist in the adjustment of the headshaft assembly 6a and to resist this force, thrust reaction elements indicated generally at 35 and 36 may be provided at each end of the shaft I0. In the embodiment shown these elements are in the form of elongated rods which are threaded at both ends to receive adjusting nuts 35a and 35a and locking nuts 35h and 36h. On the right hand side one end of the reaction element 35 is connected to the sidewall 1 by means of a bracket 31 and the other end is connected to the mounting plate I3 by an outwardly extending lug 38, while on the left hand side the reaction element 35 extends between the bracket 39 attached toV the sidewall 8 and the lug 40 on the mounting plate I4. In the preferred embodiment as shown the reaction elements 35 and 36 oier an unyielding resistance to the thrust force exerted by the conveyor 6, but it will be understood that when it is desired the elements 35 and 35 may be modified so as to have a limited contractible movement offering a yieldable resistance to the thrust force of the conveyor. Additional support for slidable movement of the mounting plates I3 and IIS may be provided in the form of horizontally disposed rail elements 4I welded to the supporting plate members so as to overlie the upper and lower edges of the mounting plates.

The sidewalls 1 and 3 are joined by a top wall i2 forwardly of the headshaft assembly Sa, and by a top wall 43 rearwardly of the assembly, while a removable top cover plate 43 encloses the opening thus provided between the forward and rearward top walls to make the entire body of the truck relatively dust tight and present a smooth unbroken surface along the upper surface.

A power driving device, indicated generally at 45, may be included in the headshaft assembly supported in a housing 41 on the mounting plate I3. The power driving device forms no part of this invention and may take several forms. In the preferred form as shown it comprises an hydraulic motor 43 provided with conduits having detachable -couplings 49 and 59 for suitable connection to a source of fluid under pressure (not shown) normally carried by the truck, and having an output shaft 5I in alignment with, and connected to, the shaft I by a coupling means 52.

The procedure for removing and replacing the headshaft assembly as a unit will now be described. Thefluid couplings 49 and 53 having been detached the cover A4 is removed by taking out the bolts 45, after which the nuts 34 are unscrewed and the bolts 33 removed. The locking nuts 35h and 33h are then loosened on the elements 35 and the nuts 35a. and 33a are run in toward the center to allow the mounting plates I3 and I4, carrying the shaft Il), to slide rearwardly in the rails 4I under the influence of the force caused by the tension in the conveyor 6 until this tension is reduced to the point where the elements forming the conveyor can be separated and removed from the sprockets 9 in a manner well known in the art and forming no part of this invention. After the conveyor 6 has been removed, the thrust reaction elements 35 and 36 can be separated from the headshaft assembly 6a and/0r the sidewalls 1 and 8 by removal of the appropriate set of locking nuts 35h or 36h. At this point, there being no reactive force present the shaft assembly will remain in position at any point in the lower rails 4I, and the plate members 29 may be raised vertically after the bolts 32 have been removed. In addition, at some point in the operation it is necessary to remove the center section 22 from the apron I5 by removing the holding bolts 23. These operations having been performed, it is then possible to raise, as a single unit, the shaft I0 with the journal means II and I2, the mounting plates I3 and I4, the shrouds I5 and I1, and the power device 46 still secured to it, in a vertical direction completely out of the truck body.

To replace the headshaft assembly it is only necessary to perform the operations noted above in the reverse order, bearing in mind the fact that the nuts 34 are not to be tightened until the conveyor 6 has again been placed on the sprockets 9 and the tension applied to the conveyor adjusted by means of the thrust receiving elements 35 and 36. This adjustment having been made, the nuts 34 may be tightened on the bolts 33 to draw the mounting plates |13 and I4, and the shrouds I6 and I1 into tight frictional engagement with the plates 28 and 29 which will relieve the elements 35 and 36 from taking the entire thrust load caused by the operation of the conveyor 6.

While the present preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated in considerable detail, it should be understood that the invention is not to be limited to these arrangements, but may be carried out in other ways.

We claim as our invention:

1. A headshaft mounting for refuse collecting trucks having an endless conveyor disposed in a body portion having spaced sidewalls, said sidewalls being provided with a downwardly extendinng recessed portion in the upper edge extending below said headshaft, said headsh'aft projecting outwardly of the sidewalls, a removable plate for enclosing the recessed portion above the shaft, journal means for the ends of the shaft, and fastening means for detachably securing the journal means to said spaced sidewalls and said removable plates in a plurality of positions to take up slack in the conveyor.

2. A removable mounting for an endless conveyor headshaft assembly disposed in the body of a refuse collecting truck having spaced vertical wall sections, comprising a plate member substantially coplanar with one of the vertical wall sections and detachably secured thereto, a conveyor headshaft extending between said plate member and the other of the vertical wall sections, journalled support means for said headshaft, supporting means for detachably securing said journalled support means to said plate member and said other vertical wall section in a plurality of positions in the direction of thrust of said conveyor, and adjustable thrust-receiving means for positioning said journalled support means.

3. In a fully enclosed refuse collecting truck body having spaced sidewalls, said body being provided with 'an access opening in an upper portion depending downwardly into a margin of the sidewalls to receive headshaft assembly means including a shaft to project outwardly of said access opening, the combination including, closure means for the access opening including a, removable plate to be disposed substantially coplanar with a side wall, adjacent margins of said plate and a sidewall defining an opening through which said shaft projects, one of said margins being longitudinally recessed to permit translatory movement of said shaft for adjusting slack in a conveyor, journal means for the shaft, and adjustable thrust-receiving means for positioning the journal means.

4. In a refuse collecting truck body having spaced sidewalls, said sidewalls being provided with a downwardly reentrant marginal portion. headshaft assembly means to be received within said body having a shaft to project outwardly through said reentrant marginal portion of a sidewall, a, plate member adapted to be removably secured to a sidewall to bridge the reentrant marginal portion above said projecting shaft, one of the margins of an element adjacent said shaft being provided with a longitudinally disposed recess to permit translatory movement of the shaft for adjusting slack in a conveyor, journal means for the shaft, one of said adjacent members being provided with a slotted aperture to receive fastening means for the journal means, and thrust-receiving means for positioning the journal means.

ERNEST C. C. MILLER. JOHN P. CALAMORE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,497,622 Weber June 10, 1924 1,717,359 Aldrich June 18, 1929 1,925,022 Francis et a1 Aug. 29, 1933 2,224,789 Kurtz et al. Dec. 10, 1940 2,239,986 Blood Apr. 29, 1941 

